cityfile

Amy Sacco's Bungalow 8 is closed and the phone has been disconnected. But she remains insistent that she plans to reopen the onetime hotspot after she completes a round of renovations and gives the venue a new look. So is there any chance Bungalow 8 will reopen and Sacco will once again reign supreme as the "Queen of NYC nightlife"?

I think it's hilarious in a way as I've heard this rumor spread around for five years and it's actually my eight-year anniversary! I will be reopening soon with a new look to match my renewed enthusiasm that we again will be alone on 27th Street—just the way it was when I first opened.

Of course, it's not "a rumor." While in the past Bungalow 8's demise was merely gossiped about, this time the club has closed. The only question now is if Sacco is going to reopen it. And while we hope that Sacco proves us wrong and the sheer force of her will (and her positive attitude) returns her to the center of the nightlife universe, it's going to be an uphill battle. For one thing, despite the renovations that Sacco suggests are already underway, there's no record that she's applied for—or received—approvals from the Department of Buildings to conduct any renovation work. (See below.)

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It's also unclear how she'd pay for the renovations or if she's managed to recruit new investors in the club. Last summer, Page Six Magazinereported that in mid-2008 the IRS filed a federal lien of almost $179,000 on Sacco's Chelsea apartment, something that typically happens when a person fails to pay his or her taxes. Sacco told the magazine at the time that the issue had been resolved. But that doesn't appear to be the case. In addition to the aforementioned lien from 2008, a second lien in the amount of $82,000 was filed this past July, as you can see below.

Sacco may still pull a rabbit out of her hat and come up the resources to give Bungalow 8 another go. If she pulls it off—and she recaptures the buzz that dissipated long ago—it would be the nightlife comeback of the decade. But we won't hold our breath either.